Xoxoucayotl
Xoxoucayotl Chaotic Good Large Town (South) Corruption 0; Crime +1; Economy 0; Law 0; Lore -3; Society +4 Qualities Defiant, Rule of Might, Subterranean Danger 10 Government Council Population 2,642 (2,500 Humans, 42 Dark Folk, 100 Other) Notable NPCs Atempanecatl Achcautli the Blind (CG Old Male Human Brawler 10) Atempanecatl Chicawa the Bold (CN Female Human Ranger 8) Atempanecatl Itzli the Fierce (CN Middle-Aged Male Human Barbarian 8) Elder Coxcatl, Speaker For the Ancestors (NG Venerable Female Human Oracle 10) Ambassador Xil (CN Dark Stalker Rogue 4) Marketplace Base Value 2000 gp; Purchase Limit 10000 gp; Spellcasting 5th Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 2d4; Major Items 1d4 The pale-skinned Axtlaca people are a peculiarity in the southern lands of the former Telzuchin empire, physically resembling none of the neighboring peoples and traditionally keeping to their own small communities scattered across the hill country pm the western edge of the Telzuchin Jungle. According to their oral histories, they once lived as slaves in a lightless underworld, serving a hideous race of subterranean beings whose name is lost to living memory. After throwing off their chains in a titanic battle merely hinted at in their oldest epics, the Axtlaca made a harrowing journey through a vast maze of caverns before finally emerging on the surface world. At the cavern mouth where they emerged, they constructed a great walled city, which they called Xoxoucayotl, meaning "Freedom From Bonds" in their native tongue. Those who scoff at the legends of the Axtlaca would be shocked to learn that Xoxoucayotl is very much real, and stands to this day, although to describe it as a great city would be an overstatement. When the Axtlaca emerged on the surface world, they found that the light of the sun was too bright for them to bear, and so they established a crude settlement of rough-hewn stone in a vast cavern just beyond the sun's reach. When their children, exposed to the light of day from a young age, proved able to function on the surface, most left the city behind to make a new life for themselves in the world beyond. A minority, however, remained behind to help care for the older generation and keep watch over the tunnels from which they had escaped. It was this second generation who sealed the passage linking Xoxoucayotl to the underworld with a thick wall of unmortared stone, leaving only a narrow passage wide enough for a single human adult to pass, which they blocked with a great stone wheel. Today, the stone and brick structures in which the people of Xoxoucayotl dwell are a far cry from the crude hovels of their ancestors, though the settlement has continued to dwindle over time and currently more than three-quarters of its buildings are abandoned and in various states of disrepair. The remaining inhabitants scrape out a living herding livestock on the mountain slopes beyond the mouth of their cavern home, and consider it their sacred duty to guard the stand ready in case their ancient masters decide to come calling one day. Although the people of Xoxoucayotl are not especially warlike, they are always ruled by a triad of their most capable warriors, known as the Atempanecatl, or "high captains." This tradition is believed to date back to the original rebel leaders who won the freedom of the Axtlaca in bloody combat. In order to be considered eligible to become one of the Atempanecatl, a warrior must journey alone through the door of the stone wheel and slay one of the hideous monsters that dwell in the caverns beyond. Bringing back a trophy from any appropriately dangerous-looking beast is acceptable, but the larger and more impressive the kill, the better. Any warriors who have thus proven themselves have the right to challenge one of the Atempanecatl to single combat in order to take their place. If the challenger is of sufficient character, the challenged Atempanecatl is greatly impressed by the trophy they brought from beyond the wheel, or if the incumbent has simply grown old and feels that they cannot stand against the challenger, they may decide to yield before the duel begins. Otherwise, the combatant who first surrenders or is rendered unable to fight on is declared the loser, and the winner takes a seat with the other Atempanecatl. The current Atempanecatl are Achcautli the Blind, the eldest sitting member of the council, who continues to defend his seat in spite of having lost his sight years ago, Chicawa the Bold, who goes on regular forays beyond the wheel for the sheer joy of the hunt, and Itzli the Fierce, a brutal and little-loved warrior who has had to defend his position more times than any other sitting Atempanecatl. The Atempanecatl are advised by a council of revered elders, the most prominent of whom is Elder Coxcatl, who holds the title of "Speaker for the Ancestors" and acts as the primary keeper of Xoxoucayotl's oral history. Competing with the council for the attention of the Atempanecatl is Xil, a Dark Stalker who acts as an ambassador from a nameless nation of Dark Folk who are Xoxoucayotl's primary trading partners. The Axtlaca of Xoxoucayotl regard the Dark Folk as "cousins," and their legends suggest that the two races toiled together as slaves before casting off their chains. At any given time, there may be dozens of dark folk in town, though most stay only long enough to conduct whatever business they have with the local humans. For the most part, this business consists of trading refined metal, rare stones, and alchemical ingredients from deep underground for lumber, wool cloth, and various surface-world foodstuffs. In addition to the dark folk, members of a number of more-or-less civilized subterranean races can be found in town, as well as a few immigrants from the surface world who have found their way to the secluded mountain region where the entrance to Xoxoucayotl is located. Outsiders are generally made to feel welcome, as the people of Xoxoucayotl are always eager for news and goods from other parts of the world, isolated as they are in their stony fastness. As it stands, the town has plenty of space for newcomers to stay, and anyone who's willing to fix up one of the abandoned houses that fill most of the cavern can claim it for themselves. Category:Location Category:Settlement Category:South Category:Large town Category:Made by Gnoll Bard